Japanese role-playing games are different from Western ones. And by "different" some would say, "not as good".

During the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese role-playing games flourished, but some now say that the current JRPGs seem trapped in time. Fans of the games believe that if something is not broken, then why fix.

You are looking at the Japanese ad for American role-playing game Fallout: New Vegas. A group of young Japanese hold protest signs that read:

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• "I think it would be good if the hero had missions that weren't only about destroying evil."
• "The player is weak, the enemy is weak. That's way too convenient."
• "When did games become something you watch?"
• "Because the story doesn't change, what's the point of playing it again?"
• "Games nowadays are focusing way too much on photorealism."
• "What's a game that's moving in accordance to the scenario? It's the same as living on rails."
• "Levelling up is time for motivation down!"
• "The stage has been set. After that, you're free to do whatever!"

This ad is arresting, eye-catching. It is, without being too blunt, a publicity stunt.

That doesn't mean the messages on these signs hold any less true.

Games like Fallout and Mass Effect are doing their best to make the vast majority of Japanese role-playing games look horribly dated and worse yet, stale.

Japanese developers might want to take heed of these signs — not to copy Western role-playing games, but to rework the elements of their games that, well, no longer work.